LOS ANGELES — Olli Määttä was playing with the Los Angeles Kings when the Detroit Red Wings zeroed in on him as an option to improve their defense.

Now in his second season with the Wings, the 29-year old has performed well enough to top the team's plus-minus rating for defensemen headed into Thursday's game at Crypto.com Arena, while also dealing with the occasional stint as a scratch, a reflection of the depth on defense.

"I think getting better and better with the season, definitely," Määttä said. "Personally I feel more confident."

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Määttä appeared in 30 of the Wings' first 38 games. With a defensive corps featuring Moritz Seider, Jake Walman, Ben Chiarot, Shayne Gostisbehere, Justin Holl and Jeff Petry, head coach Derek Lalonde and defense coach Bob Boughner have generally sat Määttä, Holl or Petry on a rotating basis.

"I had a good chat with Newsy and Boughie about what it was going to be like," Määttä said. "We have a lot of depth in our lineup so, it’s a mindset thing. Whenever you are playing, you want to make sure you are ready to play.

"It just comes down to mindset. It’s obviously not easy, not what you want to do, but whenever you get out there, you just have to make sure you have your ‘A’ game. Every play matters. You want to make sure you’re in the lineup and you play good enough."

Määttä's plus-six rating leads team defensemen; that's partly a reflection on mostly seeing third-pairing minutes, but it is not without merit.

"I'm really happy with him," Lalonde said. "I understand why the plus-minus is kind of an outdated stat, because a lot of it is matchups, and obviously Olli is not facing the top six of most teams, or top matchups. But there is something to that. Winning your shifts is a positive.

"Olli’s game has been very good for us."

General manager Steve Yzerman signed Määttä to a two-year, $6 million extension last February, after bringing him in during the 2022 off-season on a one-year deal. Määttä spent two years with the Kings, after one year with the Chicago Blackhawks. He began his NHL career in 2013-14 with the Pittsburgh Penguins, with whom he won the Stanley Cup in 2016 and 2017. Määttä has offense to his game — seven points this season; 23 points in 78 games last season — but principally adds value by playing a basic, safe game.

"He’s predictable and simple," Lalonde said. "Some times we battle a simple north game, and he’s very predictable in north. He’s easy to play off, absolute pro. Absolute pro. That’s a guy you root for, a guy you appreciate. You see him, we have a 35-minute practice, he’s working 10 minutes before and he’s the last one off the ice. He’s a really good example for our group."

Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames. Her latest book, “On the Clock: Behind the Scenes with the Detroit Red Wings at the NHL Draft,” is available from  Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Red Wings' Olli Määttä 'very good for us'